Drapery crane



I provided with reinforcing webs l'l.

Patented June 16, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,642,192 DRAPERY CRANE Lois L. Whitney, Chicago, Ill. Substituted for abandoned application Serial No. 763,677, Ju1y 25', 1947. This application April 17, 1952,, Serial N0. 282,840

6'-(3laims. (Cl.,211-e94) This application is substituted for my abandoned application, Serial No. 763,677, filed July 25, 1947. v The invention relates to drapery cranes and the like, and has for its principal object the provision of an improved bracket means and a slidably supported crane bar structure, together with pulley means arranged asipart' of the track structure for shifting the bars back and forth to desired'positions by means of pull cords. g In its more detailed aspects, the improved crane structure includes a casement or wall bracket and a certain crane-bar structure consisting of a pair of joined parallel bars, one of which is square and slidabl'y seated in'a special track in the bracket in a certain manner, with the remaining bar of the pair projected into space to support the drapery, there being pulley means contrived as a part of the bracket and track. for cooperation with a pair of pull cords, connected with the sliding bar, for shifting the pair of bars. back and'forth.

Additional objects and aspects of novelty and utility relate to details of the bracket structure, the'paralleli crane bars, andpull cord means hereinafter described in view of the annexed drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a top plan view of a drapery cranein stallationconstructed in accordance with my invention; a

Fig 2- is an enlarged top plan view of a single crane unit; I

Fig. 3 is a frontelevational view of the unit of Fig. 2';

Figwl is an enlarged section on the line" 1-4 of Fig. 3 with parts shown in elevation;

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail taken on the ime 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the several views of the drawing, the reference character I0 generally designates a mounting bracket which comprises a rectangular plate ll provided with apertures l2 for the reception of screws [3 to secure the plate to a casement member l4 of a window or the like on the wall l5.

Integral with the plate and extending at right angles thereto is a somewhat T-shaped arm It At the free end of this arm is a lateral bar or cross-member l8 having on its upper side a pair of upwardlyprojecting opposite marginal sides or flanges forming a horizontal channel, track; or slide bed, which receives a slide bar 22, as in Fig. 2, with opposite pairs of lugs or cars [9 extending upwardly from said sides or flanges and apertured v standing lugs or flange-extensions I9.

2 1 a r to receive transverse retaining pins 2| adapted to overlie a slide bar 22.

Projecting downwardly from the lower side of the cross-member l8, beneath said channel or slide bed, are two more pairs of oppositelyaligned ears or lugs 20, serving to mount certain pulley means to be described.

The slide bar 22' is preferably of square cross- ,section and rests in the channel or track bed on the supporting cross-member l8 to slide back and forth beneath the pin means 2|; and the bar 22 is formed with integral, laterally offset spacer members or arms 23 to which are welded or otherwise secured the opposite endwise parts of a crane bar 25 on which the drapery is to be arranged in known manner (not illustrated) Thus the crane structure includes a pair of joined, horizontally spaced parallel bars, one of which constitutes a slide bar and the other of which constitutes an offset or drapery bar, the slide bar resting in the elongated crosswise channel formed between the opposite side flanges of walls in the cross; bar of the T-shaped armto slide beneath the transverse retainer-pin means 2| in the up- The pulley means is situated beneath the track as a part of the track and bracket casting, and includes grooved pulley wheels 26 and 26A on the pins 2| connecting the lower ears 25).

Each spacer arm 23 of the slide bar 22 has an enlarged endwise lug" portion 27 provided with an aperture 30. Pull cords 28 and 29, each knotted at one end (Figs. 2 and 3), are respectively inserted through the aperture in one of the aforesaid'en larged lug portions of arm 23 and directed back to the track to pass over the nearest pulley wheel 26 or 26A to fall into pendant position. The pull cords are each provided at their free ends with a handle 30.

In use, the crane may be arranged in the full line position shown in Fig. 1. Upon pulling the cords 28 the cranes (together with the drapes intended to be carried thereby) may be shifted into the dotted line positions shown in Fig. 1 without handling the drapes carried thereby (not shown).

While the drawing shows and describes in specific detail a preferred illustrative embodiment of the invention, modifications may be made without departing from the intended scope of the disclosures as defined by the appended claims, as follows.

I claim:

1. A drapery crane including a mounting bracket provided with a supporting member formed with an integral track bed; a first bar mounted for slidable movement in said track bed; means overlying said first bar for retaining the same in said track bed; a crane bar spaced from said first bar and secured to the end regions thereof; and means including a pair of sheaves mounted on said supporting member beneath the track bed and each having an oppositely-trained pull cord thereon, each said cord being secured to an end part of said first bar for shifting said crane bar longitudinally in opposite directions along the track bed.

2. A drapery crane including a mounting bracket provided with an outwardly projecting supporting member formed at the top with a track bed; pulley wheels spaced apart lengthwise of the track bed and secured to the underside of said supporting member beneath the track bed,

a square slide bar arranged for sliding movement in said track bed; opposite side-flange means flanking said trackbed; transverse pin means engaged in said flange means for retaining said slide bar in said track bed, a crane bar spaced from said slide bar and secured to the opposite ends thereof; and a pull cord secured to each end of said slide bar and each cord respectively trained over a near one of the pulley wheels for sliding the crane bar back and forth in said track bed.

3. A drapery crane including a bracket provided with a supporting member formed at the top with a short track, said supporting member including upstanding ears flanking said track; a pin spaced above the track and connecting said ears crosswise of said track; a pair of pulley wheels secured to the underside of said supporting member and spaced apart lengthwise of said track beneath the latter; a slide bar mounted for sliding movement in said track underneath said pin; a spacer member at each end of the slide bar; a crane bar connected to said spacer members on the slide bar to extend in parallelism with the latter; and a pull cord secured to each end portion of said slide bar, each of said cords being trained over one of said pulley wheels and respectively operable to shift the crane in opposite directions.

4. A drapery crane including a bracket adapted for attachment to window and door easements and the like, said bracket including a projecting support arm having an integrally formed elongated channel extending crosswise of said arm; a slide bar in said channel and secured to slide therein .by spaced crosswise retainer pin means engaged in opposite sides of the channel; pulley means mounted beneath said channel on integral downward extensions of the latter; pull-cord means working on said pulley means and attached to said bar for reversely shifting the latter in said channel, and a crane bar carried by said slide bar.

5. A drapery crane comprising a mountin bracket having an attaching base at one end and a T-shaped supporting member projecting from said base and including two pairs of laterally spaced, upwardly-projecting opposite side portions defining a channel, and two pairs of oppositely spaced but downwardly projecting lugs with a cord pulley journalled between the lugs of each said downward pair, an elongated slide bar disposed in said channel, lateral pin means engaged in said upward side portions and overlying the slide bar to maintain the slide bar in the channel; and a long crane arm carried by the slide bar at one horizontally-offset side thereof; together with cord means working on said pulleys and connected to said slide bar at spaced points along the length thereof for pulling to slide said bar reversely.

6. In a drapery crane, a mounting bracket adapted for attachment to a supporting surface, and having a projecting arm portion with a laterally offset, horizontally-extensive slide bed formed therein; opposite flange formations flanking said bed and projecting upwardly therefrom; opposite flange formations projecting downwardly beneath said slide bed; pulley means supported by, and journalled between, said downward flange formation; and a shiftable crane structure including a long slide bar and an attached crane arm with said slide bar seated to slide in said bed; spaced means engaged in said upward flange formations and extending crosswise of said bed at a level above said slide bar for retaining the latter in the bed; said crane arm being adapted to support drapery and being attached to said slide bar at one side thereof to extend in spaced relation and approximate parallelism therewith; and pull cord means attached to opposite endwise portions of said shiftable crane structure and trained over said pulley means for manipulation to pull said shiftable structure in opposite directions.

LOIS L. WHITNEY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 589,881 Warner et a1 Sept. 14, 1897 654,684 Smith July 31, 1900 843,008 Gerheiser Feb. 5, 1907 956,696 Frost May 3, 1910 1,005,047 Lindner Oct. 3, 1911 1,147,944 Holdensen July 27, 1915 2,334,809 Davis, Jr Nov 23, 1943 2,504,319 Freeman Apr. 18, 1950 2,516,490 Steinmeyer July 25, 1950 

